It wasn’t the result the Saskatoon Blades were hoping for in Prince Albert Saturday night.
The Prince Albert Raiders dominated in the opening frame, firing 27 shots at the Blades’ Nolan Maier. Just two goals made it past Maier, but it was Raiders defenceman Kaiden Guhle’s 10th marker of the year, 8:44 into the game that stood as the winner. Prince Albert added two more in the 3-0 win, which dropped Saskatoon to 31-23-2-3 on the 2019-20 campaign.
Prince Albert’s Justin Nachbaur added a second goal in the first period, his eighth on the campaign, while Daniil Stephanov potted his sixth 5:58 into the second period to round out the scoring.
Prince Albert goaltender Max Paddock made 18 saves for his fifth shutout on the year. Maier ended up with 40 saves on 43 shots in the loss.
Friday, the Blades took the first game of the home-and-home series with a 4-2 win over Prince Albert at SaskTel Centre.
The Blades are still sitting safely in a playoff spot with 67 points and carry an 18-point cushion on Red Deer for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Prince Albert holds the East Division lead with 75 points, one more than Brandon Wheat Kings and six more than the third-placed Winnipeg Ice.
Saskatoon can clinch a playoff spot Wednesday with a win at home against the Calgary Hitmen. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. from SaskTel Centre.